One More
by HeyItsSkinny
Summary: Beck and Jade have to write a script for Sikowitz' class about parenthood, but neither have any experience with the subject. Victorious belongs to Dan Schneider. T for obvious reasons, since it's Bade.
1. Chapter 1

On a blustery November night, Beck and Jade sat on the floor of his RV staring at blank notebooks.

Yet again, they were given two weeks to write a full script for a play. For once, Sikowitz allowed them to choose their own partners, so of course Beck and Jade paired up. Unfortunately, however, Sikowitz then assigned each pair a topic. Cat and Robbie got loss, Andre and Tori failure, and Beck and Jade parenthood.

~

_"How am I supposed to write about parenthood when I don't even get along with my parents?" Jade protested in class. "Or Beck's!"_

Sikowitz just laughed and shrugged. "Make it up. I gave you all the assignments I did for a reason. They're things none of you are comfortable with. Cat and Robbie, I know for a fact you have both struggled with loss and you both fear losing things. Robbie, remember when you sold Rex to that rich kid? Cat, remember when you lost your boyfriend to Tori?"

The two nodded. Cat shot a brief glare at Tori before facing forward again. Rex shuddered on Robbie's lap.

"Andre and Tori," Sikowitz turned to them, "I know for a fact you both fear failure. Andre expressed this when Anthony tried to give him a D."

Andre nodded. Tori looked up. "What about me?"

Sikowitz laughed. "Other than your bird scene incident? It radiates from you, Tori. You justneed_to succeed."_

Tori blushed. It was true.

Jade hated that about her.

Sikowitz turned to Jade again. "Do you understand now? I purposefully picked topics you would struggle with. Beck here has parent issues because of you." He turned to the boy sitting to Jade's right. "No offense."

Beck shrugged. "None taken."

Sikowitz returned to Jade. "Yours, I will admit, are worse. He's going to help you, though, I'm sure."

Beck leaned over and planted a soft kiss on Jade's temple. "Of course."

~

That left Beck and Jade sitting on the floor of his RV with a box of pizza beside them and Juno playing on television.

"What are we going to write a script on?" Beck asked.

Contorting her face into an expression of thought, Jade eventually replied. "He never said it had to be human parenthood."

Beck raised an eyebrow and chuckled. "What are you thinking?"

Jade shrugged. "What an alien abducted a girl and impregnated her with an alien meant to destroy Earth?"

"How is that parenting?" Beck laughed.

"Because the girl can't get rid of the little monster and after the alien baby is born, the aliens don't come back for it."

"So?"

"So a teenage girl has this little Silurian-like kid who drinks blood that she's got to deal with."

Jade had been describing the whole scene with her arms and by the end she was kneeling and bouncing up and down. Needless to say, the movements of her snowy white breasts distracted Beck. "Mmh hm," he agreed perfunctorily.

Jade smirked. "Were you listening to a word I was saying?"

Shaking his head, Beck never separated his glance from his girlfriend's breasts. "Nope. Now come here."

Jade knew exactly what her boyfriend wanted. She crawled across the floor to him, where she straddled his lap and kissed him roughly.

His arms immediately wrapped around her torso and pulled her close. "Jade," he rasped, "get on the bed."

Grinning, she rose to her feet. "Your wish is my command," she purred. She swayed her hips as she strutted toward the bed and pulled off her shirt and bra. Once she reached the bed, Jade also pulled off her jeans, leaving her wearing only her jewelry and a red thong.

Beck's eyes lit up when he saw the thong and he pushed himself to his feet, stripping as he walked over to her.

Both teenagers were turned on enough without foreplay, so Beck just grabbed a condom from his nightstand before joining his sexy, naked girlfriend in bed.

As he began to unwrap the condom, Jade placed her hands over his. "Let me," she cooed. She took the condom and, with her delicate fingers, rolled it onto Beck's throbbing, rock-hard cock.

Beck moaned at the touch and thrust into his girlfriend's palm. She pushed him to his back and laid on his stomach.

Leaning down and kissing Beck's neck, Jade whispered in his ear lustfully. "Take me."

He did.

As Beck finished, his eyes went wide and he pulled out as quickly as possible.

"What?" Jade asked, not appreciating his ending the moment so suddenly.

"Jade, you're going to kill me," he stuttered.

"What?" she snapped.

"The condom broke."


	2. Chapter 2

Jade awoke the next morning before the alarm with Beck wrapped around her. Not wanting to rouse her boyfriend, she thought back to the previous night.

_"Jade, I'm so sorry," Beck apologized repeatedly._

"Beck, please, calm down," she consoled. "I'm not mad."

"But you could be pregnant!" he protested. "I'm not ready to be a dad!"

"We don't know yet," Jade tried to explain, becoming slightly frustrated. "I'm not necessarily pregnant."

"But you could be! I'm so sorry, Jade!"

The conversation had continued in circles like that until Beck was in tears and Jade pulled him close. She was scared-terrified is more like it-but she didn't want Beck to have to worry until they knew for certain. Besides, couples spend years trying for babies.

Beck's alarm rang, bringing Jade out of her thoughts. She climbed out of bed to go make a pot of coffee while Beck shut off the contraption.

"Good morning," Beck yawned.

"Morning," Jade deadpanned like every morning.

"I'm sorry," Beck began to apologize.

"Don't start," Jade snapped. "Just make something for us to eat and let's work on at least getting some of the script down before school."

"No showers?" Beck questioned.

Jade sighed in exasperation. "Fine. While you make breakfast, I'll shower. Then I'll start on the script and you can."

"Sounds good to me," Beck smiled, pulling his girlfriend close and kissing her softly. Jade melted into the embrace, laying her arms around his neck and returning the kiss. "I love you," he whispered.

"I know," Jade smiled. Beck loved that smile.

Before he could say another word, Jade escaped to grab clothing from his closet and then disappeared into the bathroom. Beck began making breakfast: scrambled eggs, hash browns, and sausage. So what if he liked to spoil his girlfriend?

Jade emerged from the bathroom with a towel on her head at the very moment that Beck put the meal on the table with a cup of coffee for Jade.

"Black with two sugars," Beck explained as he pulled out the chair for Jade to sit, "just the way you like it." He took the seat opposite her and began eating his own breakfast. After a few moments, he realized how quiet Jade was and looked up to see her quietly eating with a saddened look in her eyes. "What's wrong?"

Jade met his glance. "Will you still treat me like a queen even if I get fat and ugly?"

Beck smiled and leaned across the table to kiss his girlfriend. "You'll never be ugly, but yes. Even if you were fat and ugly, I would still treat you like a queen."

Jade smiled and shoved a sausage in her mouth.

Half an hour later, the couple climbed into Beck's truck and drove over to the school.

~

In Sikowitz's class, Jade found herself on-stage with Tori, acting out a scene where they were supposed to be sisters fighting over a cookie in several movie, television, or theater styles. Periodically, someone would call out a different style that they'd have to work with.

Eventually, Rex yelled "porno" and both girls froze to look at the puppet.

Sikowitz offered a counter-suggestion: "wrestling match."

Jade took the opportunity to leap forward and slam Tori to the floor roughly and sit on her stomach. "One. Two. Three. My cookie."

From his seat in the audience, Beck smiled. Jade could be so child-like sometimes.

"And, cut!" Sikowitz shouted. "I don't think we want this scene to go too much further or we may need a nurse. Brava Tori and Jade."

Tori stood and took a bow while Jade returned to her seat, uninterested in formalities.

~

Jade sat through the remainder of the day wondering whether she might be pregnant or not. She didn't feel any different.

After school, she met up with Beck and they went out for sushi at Nozu. Over dinner, they talked solely about the script they were working on. Thus far, they had described a girl running down a long alley and then being trapped at a dead end by two thugs. Then she looks upward and sees a little green light that vacuums her in.

After dinner, the couple returned to Beck's RV, where they curled up on his bed together and fell asleep.

~

On the first Saturday in December, Beck and Jade say in the RV. Beck craved In-N-Out Burger, but just the concept of food made Jade queasy.

"Your attempt at cooking last night made me sick!" she accused and held her stomach. "I've been queasy all day!"

Beck eyed up his girlfriend. "Well I'm perfectly healthy. I'm going to stop by the drug store. I'll be right back; I promise."

Jade watched out the window as Beck climbed into his truck and drove off toward town. Her stomach churned and she grabbed her abdomen, gagging but not puking.

Maybe Beck's stir-fry was a bad idea. Or Nozu's sushi? Or perhaps Festus' hamburger yesterday. That was probably it. Beck didn't have a burger and he was ok.

Running into the tiny bathroom, Jade bent over the toilet and spilled the meager contents of her body into it.

Once she was done, she flushed the toilet and brushed her teeth before laying out on Beck's bed. Just the smell of his cologne made her queasy.

"Damn food poisoning," she muttered.

Despite her nausea, Jade succumbed to unreasonable sleepiness and closed her eyes, dozing off.

When she reopened them, Beck sat on the couch intently watching the newest Star Wars movie.

"Episode IV was better," she groaned and rubbed her eyes. "How long was I out?"

"It's been at least an hour," Beck smiled, kissing the top of her head.

Jade wanted to protest his not waking her up, but the smell of his cologne made her ill and she ran back into the bathroom where she somehow managed to puke something more into the toilet.

Beck appeared behind her, holding her hair back out of her face and whispering to her softly.

Once she flushed the toilet and brushed her teeth again, Beck walked over to a plastic bag on the counter and pulled out a small rectangular box. "Jade, I know you really don't want to think about this, but could you, please?"

Jade eyed up the box as he placed it in her hand: a pregnancy test.

"You want me to go pee on this stick?" she smirked.

Beck looked down sheepishly. "Yeah, I do. I just want to know for certain."

Jade rolled her eyes and returned to the bathroom, reemerging a minute later with the stick.

"We need to wait three minutes," she deadpanned, setting it on the table. "Then we'll know."


	3. Chapter 3

Jade West had never been so relieved in her life. Nor had she ever been so heartbroken.

She and Beck stood in his little pseudo-kitchen staring at the tiny stick as it turned blue and a negative sign appeared.

"I'm not pregnant," she smiled, sighing in relief. "I'm not pregnant!" She laughed warmly, but inside she felt empty. Both Beck and Jade knew they weren't ready to be parents, but to believe that you might have a little baby inside you and find out that you were wrong hurt even more than the concept of being right.

"I love you so much," Beck hugged his girlfriend close and she leaned her head on his shoulder.

"I know," she whispered. Beck's cologne still bothered her, though, and she ran back to the bathroom where she dry-heaved, but nothing came out.

"I apologize for assuming your sickness was pregnancy," Beck apologized while kneeling behind his girlfriend and holding her hair away from the toilet.

"It's okay." Jade leaned back against his body and closed her eyes. "I'n blaming Festus' burger."

Beck leaned around his girlfriend and kissed her neck. She shuddered, but said nothing.

After a few minutes of sitting still on the hard vinyl floor, Jade stood up and looked at her boyfriend as he rose after her. "Beck, you smell too good."

"That's a new one," he laughed.

"No, what I mean is your cologne is strong and it's sickening me. Could you shower?"

"No problem." He smiled and kissed her forehead before gently grabbing her shoulders and pushing her out of the bathroom. "Ten minutes."

Jade nodded and walked back to the bed, where she took all the cologne-scented clothes and chucked them into the closet. After removing as much of her boyfriend's aromatic clothing as possible, she laid down on her back and closed her eyes, just listening to Beck in the bathroom next door. His humming while he showered soothed her and she soon found her mind roaming.

_I'm so glad I'm not pregnant. I'd make an awful mom. Who am I kidding? I'd do my best as a mom regardless of my age. Then again, a baby at this age would be tough. No more nights out, no more future, no more me time._

Eventually, Beck reemerged from the bathroom wearing only a towel around his waist. A new tattoo adorned his ribs and she smiled at it. He was so brave when they did that. "Buy the Ticket, Take the Ride" it read. The tattoo was meant to commemorate them getting back together and staying together no matter where the ride took them.

Right now, the ride took them to a very ill Jade and an equally concerned Beck.

Beck dropped his towel and grabbed a pair of boxers from his dresser, slipping them on and climbing into bed with his girlfriend. "Do you want me to make you anything? Toast? Chicken noodle soup? Jello?"

Jade shook her head and nuzzled into her boyfriend's bare chest. "Much better. Now you just smell like soap."

"That's good, I guess," the boy whispered and gently pulled his girlfriend close, who fell asleep almost instantly. _That's weird_, he thought, _Jade never sleeps this much._

He shrugged it off and closed his eyes too, drifting off to sleep.

Two weeks later, Jade's symptoms still hadn't gone away and she spent more time with the school nurse forcing nibbles of saltine into her mouth than she did with Sikowitz learning to act.

Beck was worried. She could have Hepatitis or something! That Thursday, much to Jade's disdain, he drug her out to a doctor.

Jade sat on the examination table with Beck beside her when a young, blonde, attractive female doctor walked in.

"Hi, I'm Dr. Sh"-

Jade cut her off. "I can't have my doctor flirting with my boyfriend. Do you think he's cute?" she pointed an accusatory finger at the boy, who facepalmed.

"I guess," the blonde shrugged, "but I've got a girlfriend so it's not like I'll hit on him."

Jade nodded in approval.

"Anyway," the doctor laughed, "I'm Dr. Shelly."

"Hi, I'm Jade and that's Beck. He's the reason I'm here." She yawned, catching a strong whiff of Dr. Shelly's perfume, and gagged.

"Is that me?" the doctor worried aloud. "Do I smell bad?"

Jade shook her head. "You smell good, but smells make me sick."

The doctor cocked an eyebrow. "When was the last time you had your period?"

Suddenly, Jade was embarrassed and scared. "Five weeks ago."

"Come with me."

The blonde doctor left the room with Jade on her tail and Beck following along. Beck knew what was happening.

"Jadelyn, I need you to sit in this chair and I'm going to draw blood."

"Cool," she smirked and watched the doctor remove a needle from a drawer. "I love blood."

Dr. Shelly looked straight at Jade and her green eyes flew wide. "Okay, then," she mumbled slowly and opened the needle. She cleaned off the inside of Jade's elbow and slipped the needle in, drawing enough blood to fill the bottle before pulling it away.

Jade smiled as she watched the woman carry away the vial.

She disappeared for a few moments before returning to the room with the teenagers. "We should have your results in about an hour. You can go if you want and then come back."

"May," Jade muttered, correcting the doctor's grammar.

Beck nodded and offered an arm to his girlfriend, who took it. "Thank you, doctor. We'll be back in an hour or so."

Walking out of the building after paying at the receptionist, Jade did her Judy Garland voice and imitated Dr. Shelly. "My, my, Jade, if I were straight I would totally hit on your boyfriend."

Beck rolled his eyes.

"What?" the girl snapped.

"Nothing," Beck shrugged it off. "Sushi sound good?"

Jade shook her head. "No, but miso soup does so we can go anyhow."

Beck nodded and wrapped an arm around her waist as they approached the car.

Aan hour later, the couple found themselves sitting in the doctor's office again, this time awaiting the results.

After a while, Dr. Shelly entered the room holding papers. "Here you go." She handed them to Jade and left.

Beck read the results over Jade's shoulder.

Positive.

Jade squeaked in what sounded similar to Cat-like terror. "I'm pregnant."


	4. Chapter 4

Jadelyn West did not cry. It just wasn't something she was wired to do. On the same note, Beckett Oliver did not get scared. He genuinely wasn't capable of fear.

This was the exception to that rule.

The couple sat on Beck's bed while she cried and he held her, trying to act strong.

"I'm not ready to be a mom," she sobbed. "I'll be a horrible mom."

"You'll make a great mom," Beck consoled.

"Lies."

He laughed. "Okay, you'll be an unorthodox mom, but you'll still be a kick-ass one. And I'll be the dad who's always there to help."

"I just don't know what to do," she sniveled.

Beck bit the inside of his cheek, not sure how to reply. After almost a minute of silence, he spoke. "We don't have to go through with it, you know."

"I am NOT killing our baby!" Jade leapt to her feet, clutching her still-flat stomach. "I can't believe you would even suggest that!"

Beck jumped up and wrapped his arms around his girlfriend so her head rested on his chest. "I just don't want you to feel trapped."

"Well I want to keep it."

"That's fine with me." he kissed the top of her head softly.

Two hours later, after a much-needed nap, Beck and Jade sat down to look over their script.

"You know, it's ironic." Jade didn't even look up from the paper as she said this.

Beck looked up at his girlfriend. "What?

"It's like Sikowitz knew."

"What?" he repeated, growing increasingly confused.

"It's like he knew you were gonna get me knocked up."

Beck shook his head, chuckling, as Jade continued.

"He knew you and I couldn't deal with our parents, but it was a different issue than the others. We don't fear our parents like Cat and Robbie fear losing things and Andre and Vega fear failure."

Beck leaned back. She had a point.

"Which is really creepy," Jade kept talking, "because that would mean he knew we feared becoming parents which means he knows we do it."

Beck's eyes flew wide in horror. "Ok, stop talking," he covered his girlfriend's mouth. "Let's just work on editing the script and not talk about creepy things like Sikowitz knowing our personal life."

Jade bit his hand lightly and he pulled it away. "Fine. Even though I like how it is now. Why is Sikowitz making us look over it anyway? To drill the fears into our minds?"

Beck got up from his seat, walked over to his girlfriend, and sat on the edge of her chair. "He's picking his favorite to perform. We need at least four leads and a plot possible to perform on stage. At school."

"So?"

"So we need to find a way to show the implantation and birth without..." he trailed off.

"Making Cat faint?" Jade offered.

"Yeah."

Jade rolled her eyes and flipped to page three, where the girl was in the UFO. "How are we going to do this?"

The next day, a Friday, Beck and Jade entered Hollywood Arts hand-in-hand, pretending like nothing was different. Luckily for Jade, she wasn't nearly as queasy, but her breasts were tender and her choice of bras that day was a bad idea. It was far too stiff for comfort.

Of course, Cat came skipping across the hallway and met the couple at Jade's locker.

"Hey Jadey," the redhead squealed.

"Don't call me Jadey," she growled lowly enough that Cat wouldn't hear.

"Guess what? Sikowitz is out today and there's no sub! Robbie and Tori and Andre and I are going to In-N-Out for a long lunch. Wanna come?"

"Sure," Beck answered before Jade could.

"Great!" Cat squealed and hugged Jade tightly, causing even more pain in her already sore breasts.

Jade groaned but said nothing. Eventually, Cat broke the hug and ran off down the hallway to some unknown location.

At lunch, Jade ordered a burger, fries, and a shake before sitting down at the table between Beck and Cat.

Tori was playing on her phone at this point, probably updating her Slap page.

"Jade?" Cat eventually asked, having pulled out her phone.

"What?" Jade half-snapped with a mouthful of burger. The tone even surprised herself.

"I'm doing an interview for psych. I'm supposed to ask a bunch of questions to people in relationships and to single people. Can I ask you questions?"

The blue-eyed girl shrugged. "Shoot." She picked up Beck's soda and took a swig to help empty the burger pieces from her mouth.

"Are you still a virgin?"

Jade choked as she swallowed. Beck patted her back. "Am I a WHAT?"

"A virgin," Cat repeated lightly. "Meaning have you ever, you know...?"

Jade glanced at her boyfriend, then back at Cat. "No, I'm not."

Beck blushed all shades of red. Andre looked across the table at him with a nod of respect.

"Ok," Cat typed the answer into a note on her phone and scrolled to the next question. "What's your favorite thing about your significant other?" She looked up at her interviewee. "That means Beck."

"I know what it means!" Jade snapped, then quieted in thought. "His appearance."

Cat nodded and typed in her answer. "Do you ever want to have kids?"

Jade froze and Beck wrapped his right arm around her. She swallowed. "Yeah, I guess."

"Daughters, sons, or both?"

Jade didn't know how to answer. She absent-mindedly placed a hand on her belly. "Doesn't matter," she shrugged.

Cat nodded and typed furiously into her phone before looking up again. "Beck, may I ask you now?"

Beck nodded. "Sure."

"Are you a virgin?"

"No."

"What's your favorite thing about Jade?"

Beck looked over at his girlfriend, who was pretending to be absolutely absorbed into eating her fries. "What isn't there to love? She's beautiful and talented and smart and witty."

"And a complete gank," Rex added.

Robbie shushed the puppet while Beck shot it a glare and Jade threw a straw wrapper at its plastic face.

Cat continued her interview. "Do you want kids?"

"Yeah." Beck tightened his hold around Jade and she cooperated, moving closer.

"Daughers or sons?"

"Humans," Beck answered with a shrug and laugh.

"Okey dokey," Cat giggled and slipped her phone back into her pocket. "I asked Tori and Andre on the ride over, so I'll pass this assignment, I think."

Jade rolled her eyes. Cat was so easy to please.

The rest of the long lunch passed with conversations about their scripts and the other composing assignment going on.

Eventually, Robbie ended up on the Slap with Rex reading over his shoulder.

"Did you know Trina had a pregnancy scare last month?" Tori offered, trying to break the awkward silence growing around the table. "She kept running around the house with WebDoctor on her phone and listing off symptoms."

Jade felt her stomach drop at the mention of pregnancy.

"Who would sleep with that cow?" Rex asked.

Jade felt like she was turning green.

"That's my sister!" Tori defended.

"That solves nothing. The only attractive things about her are mounted on her chest."

"Bad images!" Robbie shouted and covered the puppet's mouth.

Rex bit him and kept talking. "But seriously, who would sleep with Trina? And the fact she thought she got pregnant? What a whore!"

Jade jumped up from the table and stalked outside. She couldn't listen to this. If a pregnancy scare caused this drama, she couldn't imagine an actual pregnancy. The blue-eyed girl leaned on the wall of the building and closed her eyes, just breathing.

Eventually, the door opened and a pair of footfalls made their way closer to her. She opened her eyes.

"Hey, Jade." Beck stood in front of her, blocking the sun.

"I hate that puppet," she grumbled.

"I know you do. Robbie's telling him off as we speak."

"Rex _is_ Robbie, you idiot! Robbie thinks Trina's a slut for thinking she might be pregnant. Imagine if Robbie makes another Robarazzi! 'Is Jade West really pregnant? What a slut!' I couldn't do it! I can't let that happen!"

Beck stepped forward and wrapped his arms around Jade's waist, pulling her close. "I would kill him. Or at least capture him and let you kill him. Shall we go back inside now?"

Jade nodded. "Fine."

Upon arrival at the table, Jade found Rex staring at her. "What was that about?"

A dagger-like glare flew from Jade's blue eyes to Rex's plastic ones. "Does the concept of a garbage sale sound good to you, puppet? Because that's where you're going to end up." Jade said nothing more and returned to eating her fries.

Beck sighed and placed a soothing hand on his girlfriend's thigh. It was going to be a long nine months.


	5. Chapter 5

On the last day of school before winter vacation, Jade and her friends stood in a circle around Sikowitz's classroom in an alphabet improv battle about the North Pole.

Cat ended up winning the battle and the students all took their seats.

Sikowitz returned to his spot at the front of the classroom and sat on the steps. "I've spent the last week looking at your scripts, and I want to perform three! We'll do Cat and Robbie's in February, Tori and Andre's in March, and Beck and Jade's in April. Each pair may pick their own casts."

All six of the chosen scripts' writers grinned except for Jade. Somehow, doing a play that hit that so close to home seemed like an awful idea. She absentmindedly placed a hand on her belly.

After the school day ended, Beck drove Jade and himself back to his RV, where Jade promptly plopped onto the bed.

"I miss caffeinated coffee," she whined, laying her arms over her face. "I miss caffeine."

"I'm sorry," Beck apologized and sat beside her, "but it's not good for the baby."

"This baby is a pain." Jade uncovered her eyes and stared out at the ceiling.

"Hey," he whispered and kissed her belly, "it's our baby."

Jade grinned. "Sap."

Beck smiled and climbed atop his girlfriend, kissing her lovingly. "I love you."

"I know," she smiled and intertwined her fingers in his hair. And then, in a whisper so quiet Beck hardly heard, she added, "I love you too."

On Christmas Eve, Jade lay in her own bed at her mother's house, unable to sleep because her breasts were so sore.

"This sucks," she muttered to herself and grabbed the results from the doctor's pregnancy test off her nightstand. Frustrated, she jabbed her index finger at the word 'positive.' "You got me into this mess, you darn positive. But I promise you're not going anywhere. Not until a good eight months from now."

Beck had gone to Florida with his family for the break, so Jade spent most of New Year's Eve in her room, only leaving it to get food or go to the bathroom (both of which she was beginning to do more often).

Half the time she spent in her room was used staring at those infernal papers that confirmed the little monster growing in her belly. After one of the times that Jade fetched another cup of soda and plate of food, she returned to find none other than her twelve-year-old brother sitting in her favorite chair and looking at the papers.

"Alex, what are you doing?" she bellowed, setting her food on an end table before stalking over to him. "Why are you in my room?"

"I know what these are," the blonde boy taunted, jumping up to stand on the chair and holding the papers in the air. "And I'm gonna show Mom."

"Don't you dare!" Jade shouted and grabbed the boy by his waist, throwing him over her shoulder.

Alex, much to his sister's disdain, swung his arms and kicked his legs and ultimately ended up hitting Jade in the belly. She immediately dropped him, clutching her stomach, and he knew exactly what had happened.

"Oh my God," the boy apologized. "I'm sorry. The papers aren't a prank meant to scare Mom?"

"No," Jade admitted, sitting cross-legged on the ground. "You're going to be an uncle. But you can't tell our parents."

"I didn't hurt it, did I?" Alex softened to the point where his blue eyes looked like they would spring leaks.

"I don't think so," Jade shrugged. "I think you hit too high." She stood up and walked over toward her food. "But never do that again. Now get out of my room!"

Alex didn't need to be told twice. He sprinted out as quickly as his feet could take him.

Jade took her food over to her favorite chair, grabbed her laptop, and started up SlapChat.

Cat quickly started a video call. "Hey!"

"Hey, Cat. What's up?"

"I wanted to wish you a happy new year!"

Jade looked at the scenery behind her friend and recognized the one bright light on the nighttime background. "Cat, are you outside my house?"

"Oh yeah!" the red-head giggled. "Robbie and Tori and Andre and I are going to Freezy Queen because they're giving away free ice cream to ring in the new year! Wanna come?"

"Two minutes," Jade smirked and closed the laptop lid before grabbing her purse and phone and running outside, where Andre's car sat in the driveway. She opened the rear passenger side door and climbed in as Cat slid to the middle next to Robbie."

"To Freezy Queen!" Andre announced and pulled out of the driveway.

At the restaurant, Jade enjoyed a large Mega Mocha Blast at a table with her friends and that darn puppet.

"We get to work on our plays when school gets back," Tori eventually spoke. "I look forward to directing for once."

"I look forward to killing you in my play," Jade smirked. Nobody actually died in 'An Alien Inside,' but watching Vega squirm was fun.

Tori was silenced by that comment and shoveled another scoop of ice cream into her mouth.

From behind the counter, workers started counting. "Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one, happy new year!"

Cat leapt up from her seat as she screamed the final phrase and Robbie jumped up beside her, planting a kiss on her lips. The redhead kissed back briefly before pulling away. "Robbie, ew!" she squealed.

"Want to give me some loving?" Rex asked Tori after Robbie put his hand back in the puppet.

The brunette shrugged and leaned down, kissing its plastic cheek.

Andre looked over at Jade with a questioning look in his eyes. Jade flipped him off.

After finishing their desserts, the teenagers returned to their homes for the night.

Laying in bed, Jade thought about her baby for a few moments before dozing off. Baby's first new year, kind of.


	6. Chapter 6

The week after Beck returned from Florida, he drug Jade out to the doctor again.

She sat on the cot and sighed as a different doctor than Dr. Shelly entered. This one was a petite Asian woman of at least forty years.

"Hi, I'm Dr. Yu." She reached out and shook Jade's hand. "Your boyfriend spoke to our receptionist over the phone yesterday and informed us that you would like an obstetrician since this is your first baby."

Jade, with a frown still adorning her pretty face, shot a glare at Beck, who shrugged.

"I will be taking care of you all the way up through when you have your baby. But let's not focus on that yet. Right now, let's start measuring the little buddy."

"Don't call it that," Jade snapped, obstructing her belly with her hands. "It's not my 'little buddy.' It's my baby."

"Ok," Dr. Yu apologized. "Let's start with measuring your baby's growth."

From there, the doctor used an ultrasound so that the couple could see their baby's heartbeat. Despite her best attempts at keeping a straight face through the process and her utter disgust at the goo on her belly, Jade smiled when she saw the tiny heartbeat. Her baby was growing and safe.

At the end of the check-up, Dr. Yu gave Jade an estimated due date: August 2.

Beck and Jade left the doctor arm-in-arm. "Can you believe it?" he asked. "We're really having a baby."

Jade just smiled, but honestly, she was scared. Having a baby was terrifying.

At school, the students began working on Cat and Robbie's play. The story was about a girl whose puppy runs away and she's sad, but her brother goes to find it and bring it home. Meanwhile the kids' mother tells them that she'll just have to buy a new puppy.

Cat chose the female leads and Robbie the male, so Jade ended up the little girl, Tori the mom, Beck the brother, and Andre the dog.

Jade was just glad she wasn't the mother. She didn't need any more unfortunate reminders of her premarital pregnancy.

Then she got the script.

In the first read-through, Cat and Robbie just sat nearby writing some sort of notes in a notebook while their friends read.

"I miss Willie," Jade read in her most convincing childish whine.

Beck and Andre chuckled. Willie.

Jade slammed the script down onto her legs. "May I _please_ change the dog's name to Billie?"

Robbie shrugged. "Fine. Whatever floats your boat."

Jade nodded. "The dog's name is now Billie." She furiously flipped through the script and changed the names.

The reading continued.

"Your brother is going to look for Billie, Susie. Right now though, you can play with your baby doll." Tori read her lines almost convincingly, even pretending to hand a doll over toward Jade.

Jade's eyes bugged out as she read the next line. "I want to be a mommy some day with my own real baby, just like you."

"Maybe you will, sweetie, maybe you will."

From there, Tori's line driveled on in a soliloquy as Jade's character went to bed. Suddenly, being the little kid didn't seem like such a good idea. The script had various baby-related comments.

Back at Beck's RV, the couple lounged on the couch watching television. She lay across him with her head on the arm of the couch and his hand on her belly, rubbing small circles in the smooth skin.

"Alex knows." Jade didn't even part her eyes from the television.

"What?" Beck stopped with the hand thing and looked over at his girlfriend, whose eyes still stared ahead.

"Alex knows he's going to be an uncle."

Beck bit the inside of his cheek and nodded, unsure of what else to do.

"He promised not to tell Mom. And even he doesn't like Dad."

"Okay," Beck half-asked.

"I just thought you should know."

From there, Jade made it clear that she was finished talking. She herself rubbed her belly, making Beck look at her in question. "You okay?"

"Yeah. Just craving mozzarella sticks."

Beck cocked an eyebrow. "Want to go get some?"

Jade met her boyfriend's gaze. "Can you pick some up for me? I don't want to move."

Beck smiled. "Magic word?"

Jade defiantly glared at her boyfriend. "You got me knocked up and it's the least you can do to get me food."

"Close enough." He kissed her forehead and pulled on a jacket. "I have my phone. I'll be back in twenty."

Jade nodded and curled up in the warm spot where Beck had been. He dozed off watching TV and listened as Beck's car exited the driveway.

Two minutes later, Jade added another craving to the list, so she called Beck.

"Hey, what's up?"

"Don't forget marinara. And bring home salt and vinegar Lay's."

"On it," Beck laughed and hung up to keep driving.

A little over twenty minutes later, Beck entered the RV carrying mozzarella sticks, French fries, a bag of chips, and a large cup from Skybucks.

"You brought me coffee?" Jade grinned and stood.

"Yeah." The couple kissed warmly. "It's decaf though."

"Better than nothing," she shrugged and took a swig. "Yum. Mozzarella sticks?"

Laughing, Beck held the container above his head and Jade jumped up in an attempt to grab it. "Magic word?" he taunted.

Jade stopped jumping and pointed to her belly. "Baby."

"The correct answer was 'please,' but the judges have voted to accept yours." He handed the box to his girlfriend, who opened it and shoved one in her mouth.

By the beginning of February, the cast was ready to perform Cat and Robbie's play. Jade sat back stage, staring at her costume with a disgusted expression plastered across her pretty face.

"What's wrong?" Cat skipped back to her friend.

"The dress is pink." Jade scowled. She was under no circumstances willing to wear a pastel pink dress.

Cat's eyes lit up. "Oh! There's a blue one too if you'd rather that. Sinjin said you should wear the pink one. I told him he was a goof."

Jade nodded. "Blue is better."

"Kay Kay!" Cat disappeared for a few moments before returning with a light blue dress. She handed it over the the noirette before disappearing again.

The play went fairly well and afterward, the teenagers stopped by Nozu for some celebratory sushi.

Jade didn't eat much of hers, but rather picked at it until she eventually gave in and placed a piece in her mouth.

"What's up with you, Jade?" Tori asked as she eyed up her ill friend.

"Yeah," Andre added. "You look like something's sitting funny in your stomach."

Jade swallowed carefully and placed a hand on her belly. Something _was_ sitting funny. A baby, in fact.

Beck spoke for his girlfriend. "She's just a little nauseous. It'll pass."

Jade nodded and shoved another piece of sushi in her mouth. She wasn't ready to let her friends know about the baby yet. Evidently, neither was Beck.

But they'd have to find out eventually. Choosing when would prove the hardest part.


	7. Chapter 7

Midway through February, Jade West sat in the health room, wondering why it was required to take such a stupid class.

The teacher approached the podium. "Today, class, we're beginning a new topic: pregnancy."

Jade stiffened, placing a hand on her belly and praising the fact it was still flat enough to hide under dark, loose-hanging clothing. It was starting to show, though: just enough to make her feel fat.

"I hope none of you are sexually active, but whether or not you are you need to be aware of the possibility of pregnancy so you can avoid it at all costs."

Jade leaned forward and laid her head on the desk. She already had something growing inside her. She really didn't want to sit in a class where they talk about it like it's a bad thing.

The class began a powerpoint on baby growth by week. By the time the bell rang, they had hit week 5, almost two months before where Jade was.

As soon as that life-saving bell rang, Jade flew from her seat out the door and almost literally crashed into Tori.

"Hello, Vega," Jade half-sang.

"Hey, Jade," Tori greeted. "Why are you in such a hurry?"

"I'm hungry," Jade lied. "And I have to wazz." The second part was the truth. She went to the bathroom far more often now.

Tori didn't know what to say, so she ended up making a dumb face and waving her head around before finally responding with an "ok."

Jade took her leave and half-sprinted to the bathroom, where she emptied her bladder for the fourth time that day. After pulling up her jeans, she took a minute to fix her bra, which was feeling way tighter than usual.

She'd just have to take Beck bra shopping that weekend.

On Friday, Beck and Jade went back to his RV after school. He watched as she stripped off her bra before sitting down on the bed.

Beck picked it up from the floor and walked over. "Why did you take your bra off?"

Jade chuckled. "My boobs don't fit."

Beck placed his hands on her definitely-larger-than-before breasts and kneaded them softly. "Well then I guess you just won't be wearing a bra around the RV then," he chuckled.

Jade winced slightly at her boyfriend's touch. "Ow," she whispered.

"What?" Beck pulled his hands away.

"Just a little sore," Jade chuckled. "Nothing too bad."

Beck leaned down and placed a soft kiss on each swollen breast. "Okay," he whispered. "Sorry for getting you into this mess."

"Just stop apologizing," she groaned. "We're having a baby and I'm forced to carry the little bugger around for the nine months between your condom breaking and the kid breathing air for the first time. It's how life works."

Beck chuckled.

"What?" Jade snapped.

The boy hugged his girlfriend close. "It's just like the way parents tell their kids about sex. 'When a Mommy and a Daddy love each other very much, they decide to have a baby'."

Jade clamped a hand over his mouth. "I know how babies are made, Beckett. You don't have to remind me."

"My point was that we fit, Jade," he smiled. "I love you."

A smile grew across the blue-eyed girl's face. "I love you too."

On Sunday, Jade went bra shopping at the mall with Beck in tow. She made a straight shot for the only store she planned to visit: Aerie.

She grabbed several bras, tried them on, and settled on buying four. All the while, Beck sat on a bench outside the store and constantly had to shoo away girls who tried to hit on him.

After a good half an hour, Jade reemerged carrying a bag. "Let's go," she stated and began walking toward the exit.

Beck stood up and jogged to catch up with his girlfriend. "Are we heading back to my RV?"

Jade shrugged. "I guess. We have a couple things we need to talk about that I was realizing while trying on bras."

Beck felt a sinking feeling in his gut, but he beat it away in hopes that it wasn't bad news.

The car ride passed fairly quietly with the only sound being the crinkling of the wrapper on Jade's granola bar.

Once inside the tiny metal dwelling, the couple sat down on the couch.

"So what did you want to talk about?" Beck asked, looking over at his girlfriend.

"Beck, I'm starting to show," Jade eventually replied. "Firstly, I'm going to order a Bella Band because I'm not ready to go buy maternity clothes. Secondly, we need to tell our parents and our friends somehow. I'm scared, Beck."

The boy wrapped his arms around his girlfriend. "What are you afraid of?"

Jade sniffled. "I'm afraid of being disowned. I'm afraid of our friends leaving. I'm afraid I won't make a good mom. I'm afraid you'll leave me."

Beck placed a soft kiss on his girlfriend's forehead. "Even if you're disowned, I still love you. Our friends are great and they're not going anywhere. You'll be an amazing mom. And I will never ever leave your side. I love you, Jadelyn West."

"I love you too," she whispered. "That still doesn't solve when and how we're going to break it to everyone. I'm starting to look pregnant, Beck. Look!" She stood and pulled up her shirt to show the tiny bump in her abdomen.

Smiling, Beck leaned forward and kissed the bump. "Hey, baby," he chuckled and ran his thumb over the skin, "you're scaring your mommy. You're making her feel things she doesn't normally show. Your mommy is beautiful, baby. Remember that."

Jade smiled. "You're stalling, Beck," she pulled her shirt down and sat on his lap.

"So I am," he admitted. "I think we should wait to break it to them until we figure out whether it's a boy or a girl."

Nodding in thought, Jade agreed. "All I know is I hope it has your hair."

"Only if it has your curls," Beck laughed and kissed his girlfriend, carrying her to the bed and laying beside her. He stopped kissing her long enough to pull up her shirt and rub her belly. "I hope you look like mommy, baby. Mommy is so pretty."

Jade giggled. "So is Daddy."


	8. Chapter 8

Over the past four months, Jade made her dislike for doctors blatantly obvious. This time, though, she was excited to go.

"Hello, Jade and Beck," Dr. Yu greeted as she entered the exam room. "Are you excited for this visit? It's a big one."

The blue-eyed girl raised her eyebrows and shrugged, feigning indifference.

Dr. Yu went through the motions of measuring the baby before finally answering the prying question.

"Congratulations, Jade. You're having a very healthy little girl."

Back at the RV, Jade sat on the couch wearing only a sports bra on the upper half of her body. Her hair hung in natural curls and sweatpants clothed her lonny legs.

Beck sat to her right, reading through the script of the newest play: "Broken Hearts on Broadway." This play was about a girl who tries out for the lead on Broadway, but ends up just being the understudy to a miraculously healthy diva. Beck was the heroic male lead, Robbie the lead's understudy (a character who looks up to Beck's role), Cat the protagonist, and Jade the diva antagonist.

Jade already knew her lines by this point, since she had been learning them during health class rather than listening to the teacher drawl on about the "horrors" of teenage pregnancy.

Luckily for the blue-eyed girl, when she wore loose-fitting shirts nobody could see her showing yet and the band she had bought hid the awkwardly fitting pants.

"Jade," Beck eventually spoke as he closed the libretto, "why don't you wear a shirt around the RV?"

She honestly didn't know. "It's comfortable, I guess. And I know you won't judge me."

The boy wasn't sure how to reply. Eventually, he decided on a response. "Will you at least put a shirt on in case my mother comes in?"

"Only if it's your red plaid flannel."

Beck laughed. "Deal." He watched as she stood up from the couch, walked over to the closet, and pulled out her favorite of his shirts.

Since she had reached the second trimester, Jade had been feeling much better and she started eating more. She ate so much, in fact, that every other night they would stock the fridge and her incessant snacking would empty it before their next visit to the grocery store.

With a smile, Beck watched Jade return to her seat by his side and cuddle up against him. Snuggling together warmly, Jade eventually dozed off to a restful sleep. This one wasn't pregnancy fatigue; it was merely a lack of sleep in the previous several nights due to constant worrying about the possibilities of the baby being sick.

Now, though, she snored softly and Beck carried her over to his bed, where he laid her down and covered her with a fuzzy blanket. Jade was so peaceful when she slept.

On the night of the play performance, Jade looked at her costume, surprisingly pleased with it. It was a big, red, flamboyant silk ball gown with a hoop skirt that detracted from the appearance of her baby bump. Ruffles could sometimes do wonderful things.

On stage, Jade performed with gusto, her icy blue eyes glittering in the stage lights.

This play was a mini-musical to simultaneously appease the requirement of Tori and Andre's songwriting class, so of course Cat and Jade had a battling vocal piece at one point, at which they began climbing the set stairs to show superiority. The piece was exhausting with all its movement and singing and dancing. Eventually, Jade grew light-headed but kept performing anyway.

To end the piece, back at the front of the stage, Jade hit a high note full-blast and fell to the ground as her dizziness and the growing blackness around her peripheral vision overwhelmed her.

Still in character, Beck strutted forward and scooped his hands under his girlfriend's back, lifting her cradle-style. "My poor Josephine," he fake-sobbed, carrying her off-stage.

Cat looked shocked and began to run off-stage when Robbie came running in and grabbed her by the arms with an improv'ed line intended to cause a scene skip from six to eight. "Sophie, you did it! You out-performed Josephine!"

The actors impromptu-skipped the lines that they were incapable of using since 'Josephine' wasn't around. 'Sophie' and 'Evan' continued their lines from scene eight rather than seven, which was intended to be a lengthy soliloquy by Josephine.

Backstage, Beck muted his mic and knelt on the floor beside the futon where Jade lay. She had begun to regain consciousness, but she was still to dizzy to sit up and she took small sips of water through a straw.

"What happened?" Sikowitz asked as he came running back to join the teenagers.

"Stage lights got to me, I guess," Jade lied. She knew exactly what was wrong: providing blood for two hearts to pump.

"That's not like you," Sikowitz pried. "Didn't you eat before coming?"

Beck chuckled. "Not enough, evidently."

Burf, who was manning the curtains, leaned his head into the room with Beck, Jade, and Sikowitz. "Jade, we're on the final scene. We need you to come on and look sad as Cat hits the last note."

Jade glared at the boy. "I know what to do." She stood and stalked over to the wings before finally entering and looking shocked as 'Sophie' sang the final note that was originally intended to be 'Josephine's.'

The curtains closed and Jade joined the lineup for curtain call. The four leads took their bow together and Jade winced as the combination of bending and the dress squeezed her baby belly.

In the dressing room, Jade had the most awful time undoing the zipper to remove the dress. Cat eventually bounced in and over to the noirette.

"Jade! Do you need help?"

"Yeah," she admitted. "I'm stuck in the dress."

"My brother got stuck in a dress once," the redhead giggled. "He looked silly in a dress."

Jade would have asked why he had worn a dress, but then again he had worn her bra last time she slept over and she really didn't want any more insight on the weird Valentine boy.

"Your zipper is wonky," Cat muttered, fussing with the clothing.

Jade walked over to her regular clothes and produced a pair of scissors. "Cut the zipper seam and set me free."

Cat did as she was told, cutting the tiny red threads and helping Jade climb out of the dress before watching it fall gracefully to the floor in billows of shiny redness.

By the time Cat looked up, Jade had already made her way back to her clothing and was facing perpendicular to her while pulling on a shirt. Her belly was clearly outlined on the green wall behind her.

"Jade, what's up with your stomach?"

The blue-eyed girl bit the inside of her cheek and her hands flew instinctively to cover the belly. "A little bloated."

Cat shook her head. "Don't lie to me, Jadey," she teared up. "You don't wear tight clothing anymore. You were sick all last month. You pee every hour. Are you..."

Jade ran over and clamped a hand over her friend's mouth. "Yes," she whispered harshly. "Yes, I'm having a baby. But you can't tell _anyone_."


	9. Chapter 9

Jade went to her own home that night per her mother's request. She wasn't sure why her mother wanted her to come home, but she invited Beck to come over, too, so she figured it would be okay.

And thus, after a quick meeting in Sikowitz's room regarding Cat and Robbie's improv-the conversation completely avoided the elephant in the room that was Jade's passing out-the teenagers left for their respective houses.

"What does your mom want?" Beck asked while driving. He reached over with his right hand and grabbed Jade's left.

"I have no clue. The text just says 'Come home tonight. Bring the boy if you want.' I just hope she's not pissed. As much as pissing people off is fun, I don't want to deal with it."

Beck's grip tightened on his girlfriend's hand in a reassuring squeeze. "If she gets pissy, we'll leave."

Jade nodded as Beck turned into the driveway.

He opened the front door for her and they entered the foyer. "Mom, we're here!" Jade shouted.

"Jade, come back into the living room," her mother's voice echoed through the house. "We need to talk."

The girl, barely having closed the door behind her and Beck, instinctively placed her hands on her belly.

Beck walked up behind her and kissed her cheek. "Do you think Alex squealed?" he asked, a twinge of apprehension creeping into his voice.

Jade shrugged. "If he did, I'll lock him in the basement."

Together, the couple walked into the living room to find Jade's mother sitting on the couch with a man who looked a bit like a mix between George Clooney and Jude Law. The man wore a navy blue suit and held the woman's right hand with his left.

"You look terrified, Jade," her mother chuckled. "You're not in trouble."

Jade and Beck still looked uneasy.

"Unless you should be," the woman added, cocking an eyebrow.

Jade faked a laugh. "Of course not, Mom." She and Beck took a seat in the couch opposite the adults.

Alex bounded down the stairs and plopped down in the recliner.

"Kids," Jade's mother smiled, "meet Jon. Alex has met him, but you haven't been around much, Jade, so you haven't yet and I thought you should."

The girl glared at the man.

"Honey, is she okay?" Jon asked the woman to his left.

"Jade, please calm down." Beck rubbed up and down on his girlfriend's tense arms.

"Jon," Jade growled, making eye contact with the man, "if you hurt my mother, I promise you will never be able to even look at a pair of scissors again."

The man nodded his head vigorously, clearly intimidated by the teenager. "Don't worry, I won't."

"In fact," Jade's mother interjected, "Jon and I are getting married. We don't expect you to change your name, but I will be Mrs. Lisa Schmidt in July."

"Cool," Alex grinned.

"Congratulations," Beck smiled.

"Hrmph," Jade muttered.

"Jade," Beck whispered in her ear, "at least pretend to be happy."

In her Judy Garland voice, Jade pulled on an artificial smile and congratulated the new couple.

Lisa shook her head. "Oh Jade," she mumbled.

"May we go now?" Jade asked brusquely, pushing herself to her feet. Beck stood beside her and placed his arm on her hip.

"Yeah, I guess," Lisa shrugged.

"It was nice to meet you, Jade," Jon stood and shook the girl's hand before then offering his hand to Beck. "And you, ..."

"Beck," the boy offered and returned the greeting.

"Beck. Unusual name, but I like it." Jon nodded in approval before stepping back toward his new fiancée.

"Bye, Jade! Bye, Beck!" Alex waved.

"Goodbye, kids," Lisa smiled, hugging them both at once and making Jade uncomfortable. Luckily, the hug was crooked so the baby didn't get in the way very much.

Beck and Jade left the house and returned to his RV, where they sat down on the bed.

"I was worried your mother knew," Beck mumbled.

"I know," Jade deadpanned. "You told me."

Beck grumbled something, but Jade didn't hear what and she honestly didn't care enough to find out, so she just laid her head back and closed her eyes.

"She's going to find out eventually, you know," she sighed.

"I know. And so will my parents."

Jade didn't feel like talking anymore, so she walked over to the bed and curled up on it facing out so she could watch the TV.

Beck sat by her feet and massaged them.

"I don't want to get pregnant feet," Jade complained. "Feet are awful enough as is."

Almost laughing, Beck continued with the massage. "I'm not sure how to reply to that."

"Tell me I won't get pregnant feet!" Jade shouted.

"Okay," the boy chuckled, "If it comforts you, I'll do all I can to keep you from getting pregnant feet."

"Good."

Several minutes passed in silence and Jade stared at her belly. "This must be what butterflies in your stomach feels like."

Beck looked up at her, confused.

"I feel like there's little bubbles in my belly," she clarified.

"Can I feel?" he asked, excitement filling his expression.

Jade laughed. "Doubtful unless you can feel inside my gut."

Beck pouted and bent over so his face was close to Jade's belly. "Get stronger, baby girl, I want to feel."

Smiling, Jade laid her head back as Beck kissed along her belly. Beck was going to be a wonderful daddy. She just hoped she could be an equally great mom.


	10. Chapter 10

On Monday, after a weekend of successfully evading the outside world, Beck and Jade walked into Hollywood Arts to meet judgmental glances of seemingly limitless students, many of which the couple didn't even know.

Self-conscious, Jade trudged to her locker and opened it, tossing some books inside and pulling others out.

Tori approached the girl. "Congratulations, Jade," she smiled.

Jade glared. "For what?"

In disbelief, Tori raised her eyebrows. "You haven't heard? Check the Slap. It's trending locally."

Jade pulled out her PearPhone and pulled up the app, scrolling through the trends until she found what she was looking for:

#jadeispregnant

"What?!" the blue-eyed girl bellowed. "Who started this?" She then remembered that she had only told Cat. Slamming her locker, she stormed off to find the little redheaded girl.

When she finally found the girl, Cat sat cross-legged on the little stage in Sikowitz's room playing with yarn.

"Cat!" the noirette shouted.

"Whatty?" Cat replied innocently, rising to her feet.

"Did you tell?!"

"Tell what?" The redhead twirled her hair around her finger, clearly clueless to the origin of Jade's frustration.

"It's all over the Slap! It's trending!"

"Oh that?" Cat squealed. "No, I thought you did! I was so excited for you, telling everyone!"

"Why would I..." Jade trailed off. Almost growling now, Jade placed one hand on each of Cat's arms. "Did you tell anyone? Anyone at all?"

The little redhead shook her head. "Not unless my brother's turtle counts."

Releasing her grip on the smaller girl, Jade spun around and stormed out of the room, grabbing Beck's hand when she passed him in the hallway and dragging him into the janitor's closet.

"What's wrong?" Beck asked, still oblivious to the ordeal.

Jade sat on the floor, stifling tears. "Beck, they all know. Everyone on the Slap knows."

"I swear, I didn't tell anyone." Beck dropped to his knees beside his girlfriend.

"I told Cat, but she promised she didn't tell. I wanna know who did. I'll kill 'em, I swear."

Beck pulled his girlfriend and unborn child into his embrace. "Nobody will hurt us, I promise. Did you scroll through the tag to see who posted first?"

Jade shook her head and pulled out her phone, starting the search and doing her best not to read all the tweets about her.

Finally, as she reached the bottom, she found the first person to use the tag.

"I'm gonna kill him."

Jade stormed into Sikowitz's classroom just after the bell (but still before Sikowitz entered himself) and stormed over to Robbie.

"Shapiro, I will end you." She pulled a pair of scissors from her bag and lunged for the curly-haired boy as he leapt up from his seat and ran for the door.

Much to Jade's approval, Beck blocked the exit.

"Jade, it wasn't me!" Robbie shrieked. "It was Rex!" He threw his scrawny arms up in front of his face.

Undeterred, the blue-eyed girl grabbed his collar and pulled him up onto his toes, glaring into his eyes. "Your puppet doesn't have the dexterity to type. I swear, I will retire that thing to a wood chipper if you don't explain the tweet and who told you."

"What did the tweet say?" Andre asked, arms crossed.

Robbie's jaw dropped open. "Oh my God, it's true? I thought Rex was going crazy!"

Jade lifted the nerd higher and slammed his back against the wall.

"Fine, fine, I'll talk, but please put me down," Robbie begged.

Grumbling, the noirette acquiesced and set him back on the ground but blocked his exit. "Speak, Shapiro."

"Rex was telling me on Saturday that he noticed that your boobs were bigger and that you were wearing looser clothing recently. I looked through recent slapped photos of you and it was true. So while I was in bed, Rex went on the Slap and tweeted 'Bigger boobs and loose clothes? I smell baby. #jadeispregnant' and I swear I didn't know!"

"You were looking at my boobs?" Jade bellowed. "You pervert!"

"It was Rex!" Robbie whined, covering his face with one hand and pointing at his dummy with the other.

"The puppet has no brain! Its eyes are plastic!"

Robbie was silenced and dropped his head.

Jade was seething, so Beck interceded this time. "Rob, if you noticed you could have just asked."

Sikowitz then entered the room and all of the teenagers took their seats. The first thing the teacher did was look at Jade with an incredulous expression. "Is it true?"

Jade rolled her eyes and looked to Beck, who answered. "Yes."

Sikowitz didn't say another word on the subject, much to Jade's approval. Instead, he began a lesson on script loopholes and how to solve acting catastrophes in a response to Friday night's almost-disaster.

Normally, Jade would have been all for paying attention in one of her few daily classes that she enjoyed, but today she was in her own little world of thoughts. She leaned against Beck, who wrapped his arm around her and placed his hand on her belly, and stared off into space.

With her eyes trained on Sikowitz, Jade let her mind roam. She thought about the little flurries in her stomach at the moment and how bizarrely comforting they were. She pondered what it was like for the little girl to be inside her. She hoped she was doing everything right-she had even been punctilious in taking her vitamins. In fact, she even prayed that she could be a good mommy.

When the bell rang, Jade began to stand up to get her books, but Sikowitz pointed a finger at each half of the mommy-daddy pair. "Beck and Jade, stay here. You're not in trouble, don't worry."

Apprehensive, Jade took her seat again with Beck by her side. Sikowitz walked over and sat down on the chair in front of them, facing backwards so they could talk.

"Sikowitz," Beck started, only to be cut off.

"Kids, I'm your teacher and it's my job to make sure you're safe. Legally, I should send you up to Lane and have a big meeting with your parents. More importantly, I'm your friend and I realize this is a private thing. You have the right to tell your families on your own time, which I assume you will do if you haven't already."

"Thanks," Beck interjected.

"But," Sikowitz continued, "For your own safety I did inform Lane under the condition that he did not approach your parents. I just wish you would have let me know before Friday's fiasco."

Jade looked at her knees, embarrassed.

"Since you didn't though, and I couldn't have expected you to, I'm glad both you and the unborn human are safe."

The girl looked up at her teacher and a small smile graced her lips.

"Now go eat," Sikowitz stood up. "And remind me to never let you two do projects on parenthood again."

The couple blushed and stood up, gathering their belongings and scurrying out to the Asphalt Cafe.


	11. Chapter 11

Sitting at the table during her morning break, Jade opened TheSlap on her phone and sent out a PSA to all her followers:

_To answer the rumors, yes. Now back off before I stab you._

_Mood: wazzed_

With that, Jade shoved another bite of burrito in her mouth and refocused on her friends at the table. To her liking, they were completely avoiding all talk of pregnancy. Then, conversation died down. Robbie started playing around on his PearPad.

After a few moments of silent chewing, Robbie looked up at Jade tentatively. "Jade, does it have a name yet?"

Beck almost spat a mouthful of water across the table, which Jade found almost amusing; however, she sent a dagger-like glare at her curly-haired classmate. "It's a she. And no, not yet."

"It's a girl?" Cat jumped to her feet in a flurry of applause. "That's so cute!"

"Yeah," Beck smiled a little, "we're having a daughter."

He and Jade could both agree, if not aloud, that not keeping the secret from their friends anymore lightened their emotional burden.

"Hey, here's to a healthy baby girl." Andre raised his water bottle.

"Cheers," all the teenagers chorused, tapping their bottles together.

As the bell rang, Jade returned to the building for an almost painfully long English class.

After school, Sikowitz's class met in the Black Box Theater to discuss the next play.

"An Alien Inside" caused some confusion when dividing up the roles, since there was really only one main character and several minor ones.

Jade gave Cat the lead role, which left Tori playing assorted other roles including mugger at the beginning and nurse at the end. Robbie ended up playing the evil alien and voicing/working the alien baby due to his ventriloquism abilities.

Despite Jade wanting to paint Rex to be the baby, Robbie refused and offered to buy a different prop instead. Regardless, he was fine with using the puppet on-stage.

Andre ended up playing the other mugger, Cat's father, and the doctor.

In short, the cast roles were confusing as anything.

During the read-through, Jade leaned back and let the blocking of the scenes play out in her head. Beck, however, leaned forward with his elbows on his knees and watched each line be delivered.

After rehearsal, Jade went back to Beck's RV for the night. She was fine with her friends knowing her deepest secret, but letting either of their parents know was going to be a completely different story.

On Thursday, Jade had another doctor's appointment after school. Right as Beck and Jade climbed into his car to head out, Jade's phone vibrated with a text from her mother.

_Come home tonight. Big questions for you from Jon and me._

Quickly, Jade mentioned that she and Beck "had to run a few errands" but that she would come home by dinnertime. It seemed to appease the woman and Jade continued with her plans.

At the check-up, Dr. Yu did the usual measurements and asked typical questions of diet and pregnancy symptoms.

Since Jade and the baby were both clearly healthy, the couple left earlier than planned and stopped by Nozu to assuage Jade's sushi craving.

As his girlfriend shoved pieces of sushi in her face, Beck watched with a smile plastered on his.

"What are you grinning at?" the girl asked with a cheekful of spicy tuna and tempura shrimp. "You look like an idiot."

"I was admiring how beautiful you are." Beck reached across the table and grabbed the hand Jade wasn't using to eat.

A small smile adorned her plump lips. "Sap," she chuckled.

"It's true," he defended. "You're so amazing and I'm so lucky to be able to call you mine."

Grinning now, Jade slid out of her chair to run around the table and kiss her boyfriend quickly on the cheek.

"I love you," Beck sighed happily as Jade returned to her seat.

"I know," she smiled. "And I love you too. Almost as much as this _thing_ inside me that makes me doubly hungry." She patted her belly.

Beck grinned. "I love that little thing too."

After their early dinner, Beck dropped Jade off outside her house. Despite having her license, Jade rarely drove when she could ride with her boyfriend.

"Text me if you want me to come get you," Beck offered as he pulled Jade close and kissed her lovingly.

"Yep," was Jade's response. "See ya, Beck."

He watched as she almost waddled up the steps to her porch and disappeared inside the house.

"Mom, I'm home," Jade called and dropped her bag on the floor by the hall closet. "You wanted me?"

"Yeah!" the woman's voice echoed from the east side of the house. "I'm in the kitchen!"

Jade made her way to her mother, careful to avoid waddling as she came into view of the woman sitting at the kitchen table with her laptop in front of her.

"Sit down, Jade." The blonde pulled a chair beside her and tapped the seat.

Jade would have been worried had two trivial details not have existed. For one, Jade wasn't afraid of her mother under any circumstances. Secondly, if she was in trouble, she would have been "Jadelyn August West" and not simply "Jade."

Carefully, the teenager lowered herself into the chair and looked at the screen: wedding gowns.

"What did you want?" the noirette asked brusquely, not worried about formalities.

"Jade, I'm getting married on the fourteenth of July and I have to choose my bridal party. You're my daughter and you'll be almost eighteen then, so I wanted to know whether you would be my maid of honor. Don't worry, the dresses won't be pink or yellow."

Jade almost smiled at the thought. Then she realized how big her baby belly would be by then. "Yeah, I would like to, but there's something you should know first."


	12. Chapter 12

"Mom, I really wish Beck would have been here for you to find out, but I'm pregnant."

Jade's mother said nothing for a few minutes, simply staring at her daughter. Finally, she spoke in one of the firmest tones she had ever used. "Go to your room. I'll let you know when you may come back down. Take food if you'll be hungry tonight."

Jade nodded and stood up from her chair, grabbing a bag of chips and a water bottle from the pantry and heading for the stairs.

"And Jade," her mother called, making her stop in her tracks. "Don't climb out the window."

Finding that final comment (albeit amusing) unworthy of a response, Jade plodded-or waddled, more accurately-up the stairs and into her bedroom, where she flopped down onto the bed and turned on her laptop.

Beck was online, so he started a video call.

"What did she want?" Beck asked.

"To know if I wanted to be her maid of honor."

The boy grinned. "That's exciting."

"I wasn't done," Jade snapped. "She wanted to know if I wanted to be her maid of honor in July."

"But the baby-"

"I know, Beckett!" she barked. "Now my mother knows. And I'm in my room until further notice."

"Do you want me to come get you?"

"No."

Beck cocked his head. "Why not?"

"Because she's my mother, Beck. I'm not a touchy-feely person, but now that I'm going to have a daughter of my own, I'm beginning to understand a little."

Not a word came out of Beck's mouth. This was unlike Jade.

"I'm going to watch some TV, then take a shower, then sleep. Text."

"I love you," Beck finally replied.

"I know," Jade offered a small smile and left the chat, shutting her laptop in favor of the television mounted on her wall.

After her shower, Jade found herself craving a brownie, so she began to creep down the stairs toward the kitchen and thus food.

Once she got to the landing, however, she stopped. Her mother and a male voice were conversing in the living room.

"I'm just in shock," Jade's mother sighed. "I didn't think she was even active."

"Honey, they're almost eighteen and you said they've been dating their entire high school career."

"But they're only children!"

"Lisa, they've been together longer than most couples are before marriage."

"Beck is a nice boy and all, but I'm not comfortable with him and Jade being like that."

"Please, think from their perspectives. You yourself said you only dated her father for a year before marrying him and you had her a year later."

"I was married, though, Jon. That's a major difference."

Jade crept farther down the stairs so she could see.

Jonathan was speaking. "And Beck and Jade have been together longer. Beck's a great kid, Lisa. Everything about him seems benevolent and beneficent."

"I'm just unhappy that they put themselves in this position."

"They're in love."

At this point, Jade's mother had started to tear up so her fiancé pulled him into a tight embrace. "They'd better stay in love and take care of my grandchild."

Jade stood and took another step down toward the kitchen, unfortunately landing in a creaky spot that caused her mother to turn and see her.

"Jadelyn, why are you downstairs?"

"I was hungry," Jade shrugged. "Cravings."

The woman said nothing more, so Jade finished her trek to the kitchen, grabbed any food she even mildly craved, and climbed the stairs back to her room, where she laid down, ate them, and then fell asleep.

When she awoke in the morning far earlier than she needed to, it was to this weird sensation of her gut squeezing. It didn't hurt, but it felt strange.

She remembered what Dr. Yu had called them: Braxton-Hicks contractions.

"You stay in there, baby girl," Jade laughed slightly, rubbing her belly.

No longer concerned, Jade waddled downstairs to her mother sitting at the table with Jonathan and Alex. The three were eating scrambled eggs, bacon, and toast.

"Good morning, Jade," Jonathan greeted first. "Would you like me to fry you up an egg?"

Jade really didn't want to think that the thing growing inside her belly used to be an egg, just like what she was about to eat could have become a chicken. "I got it."

After fixing her breakfast, Jade joined her mother, brother, and future stepfather at the table.

"Jade," her mother eventually spoke. "Jon and I spoke last night and we want to know more about what's going on."

"I don't understand," the girl questioned.

"How far are you? What gender?" Jonathan provided examples.

"I'm five, almost six months in and it's a little girl. We haven't chosen a name but we're open to suggestions even though we'll probably ignore them."

The woman nodded. "Your brother would have been Annabel if he were a girl. That or Laurel."

"Annabel sounds like Annabel Lee. That's not a bad name." Jade's phone buzzed with her morning alarm. "I should get going."

"Have a great day, Jade," Jonathan waved as she left for the stairs again.

Jonathan wasn't that bad of a guy, actually. Jade was just bothered that he hadn't been around longer before suddenly becoming extremely important in her life.

She stood in the bathroom, putting on makeup while one of the baby's flutterings became a more recognizable kick. It didn't feel good, but the movement made Jade smile.

"You're a feisty one," she laughed, rubbing the bump softly. "Just like Mommy."


	13. Chapter 13

Saturday afternoon, Jade found herself lounging between two chairs in the Black Box Theatre while her play's cast ran a stage rehearsal.

Cat sat cross-legged on the prop bed with a fake pregnancy suit on and a prop laptop on the bed.

"Lily, your friends are here!" Tori called from off-stage.

"Coming, Mom!" Cat shouted back and ran off the stage. As soon as she was completely off-stage, she screeched out, "The baby's coming!"

With perfect timing, Sinjin and another Burf spun the set around to the view of a hospital bed and a third stagehand pulled a green hospital-style curtain over the scene except for the final eight feet on the right side.

Cat, led by Tori, entered first. Cat was sputtering lines about fear and babies while Tori kept a smile and spoke about calm. Andre entered next carrying a medical kit.

Hushed "conversations" ensued behind the green curtain before Cat squealed, "You're going to do what?!" and the lights dropped out entirely except a spotlight on the curtain that left Andre silhouetted.

He held up the dummy that would be "Lily's" child.

Capturing his role, Andre spoke. "It's a...reptile?"

The curtain pulled across and Cat stepped out, no longer wearing the pregnancy suit. She began a soliloquy. "Raising an alien wasn't easy. Max, as I named him, was different than other kids and that made life difficult."

On and on the soliloquy dragged until the curtain opened and the scene had returned to the bedroom, where puppet Max was sitting on top of a dresser with Robbie hiding behind it.

The scenes continued.

At about four in the afternoon, the cast and crew decided to call it a night and several went out for pizza.

At the local pizza joint, Tori, Cat, Andre, Robbie, Beck, and Jade filed into the largest booth they had and ordered two large pizzas and a soda for each person.

Jade watched the conversation bounce between her friends (and Tori), all the while rubbing circles on her belly to calm her fluttering baby.

When Andre noticed, he cocked an eyebrow. "Jade, what's with you rubbing circles?"

"What's it to you?"

"Just wondering. You've been doing it a lot today."

"Baby's getting fidgety," Beck explained. "Jade does this all the time. Whenever she stops, the baby kicks harder."

"It's painful," Jade groaned. "And not in a good way."

A quiet "wow" escaped Robbie.

"What?" she snapped at the boy.

"You rub your belly all day?"

"Would you like to feel what it feels like?" She balled a fist.

Beck grabbed his girlfriend's wrist. "Jade, don't hit Robbie."

She lowered her hand and took a sip of her Sprite. "I miss caffeine," she muttered.

"I love caffeine!" Cat giggled. "One time my brother drank so much coffee and soda that he stayed up for four days straight!"

"You're not helping," Jade grumbled.

The pizzas came out and Beck reached forward, grabbing a slice for Jade and then one for himself. By the time he had eaten half of his own piece, Jade was reaching up for another.

"Woah," Rex commented. "Pigging out, Jade? No wonder you're getting bigger."

Jade pointed her knife at the puppet. "Make another crass comment about my baby or me and I will superglue your mouth shut."

Robbie pulled his hand out of the puppet and set it on the floor before shyly taking a bite of his pizza.

After she finished her second slice of pizza (whereas Jade had eaten three and a half), Cat looked up at her friend. "Jadey, have you gone out to buy the pretty mommy clothes yet? My brother was just looking around a store yesterday at the mall and some had lace all over them. I know you like lace."

"Why was your brother looking at maternity clothes?" Tori asked as she swallowed a mouthful of pizza.

Cat opened her mouth to answer, then closed it and leaned her chin on her hand. "I don't know, actually. He's a little messed up."

Jade scoffed. "A little? He wore my bra."

Cat chuckled. "You're right."

The table got quiet and everyone stared at the redhead, who had already refocused on her pizza.

After a minute, Jade spoke. "No, I haven't actually. Why do you ask?"

"Yeah, Little Red," Andre added, "where did that come from?"

"Oh!" the girl perked up again. "I wanted to know if you wanted me to take you. We haven't gone shopping since..." she paused "...a long time ago."

Jade nodded. "Sure. Mall's open tomorrow, right?"

Cat nodded. "Yay!"

Beck turned to his girlfriend and whispered into her ear. "I thought we were gonna catch a movie tomorrow."

Jade shook her head. "Not anymore."

At the RV, Beck and Jade laid on the bed, cuddling, and Jade began to doze off.

"You're cute when you're sleepy," Beck smiled.

"Am I ugly otherwise?" she snapped and sat upright.

"You're beautiful all the time," Beck smiled, reaching out and placing a hand on his girlfriend's thigh. "I just meant the peaceful look when you're sleepy is extra cute."

Jade kept her expression set and watched her boyfriend skeptically.

At a loss for anything else to say, the boy leaned forward and captured his girlfriend's lips with his own.

The kiss was soft and loving, far different from many others they had shared. This one was purely loving and not in the slightest bit sexual, though a quiet noise did escape Jade's lips as Beck pulled away.

"I love you, Jade," Beck sighed, never parting his gaze from her crystal blue eyes.

"I know," Jade smiled.

Even now, years into their relationship, Jade's smiles made Beck's heart flutter. He pulled her into a close embrace and kissed the top of her head.

The couple fell over onto the bed with Jade curled around Beck's side and her head on his chest. Beck traced circles on Jade's belly and she relaxed into the touch.

"So you're going out with Cat tomorrow?" Beck whispered against the top of his girlfriend's head.

"Yeah," she affirmed.

"Even though we were going to go to the movies?"

"I haven't spent time with Cat since before this thing existed." She pointed to her belly. "It's the least I can do to let her take me out shopping. Go hang out with Andre or something."

Beck chuckled, squeezing his girlfriend's shoulders slightly in a fond embrace.

"What's so funny?" Jade snapped but didn't bother to move.

"Aren't you just so considerate?" Beck asked rhetorically. "You stayed when your mother was pissed, you're making up with Cat, you're giving me time to hang out with Andre. I'd almost think you were the one abducted by aliens."

"Shut up," Jade mumbled sleepily and closed her eyes. "I'm a mommy now. Things change."

Rolling over and curling around his girlfriend, Beck closed his eyes. "You'll always be my Jade though," he whispered, a smile gracing his face as she grabbed his hand with her own.


	14. Chapter 14

Jade drug herself out of Beck's bed on Sunday morning when her phone began ringing on the other side of the RV. Groggily, she trudged across the small living space to retrieve the offending device and read who was calling: Cat.

"Hey," Jade grumbled into the phone.

"Good morning, Mommy!" Cat giggled. "Are you at your house or Beck's? When do you want to go shopping?"

Jade looked at the clock. "Cat, it's eight in the morning. How about I pick you up at one? I'm tired and I need a little more rest. And I'm at Beck's."

"Ooh, I love Beck's RV! It's so cozy and cute and-"

"Cat-"

"sweet and he's always got delicious snacks in the fridge. I just wish-"

"Cat-"

"that the bathroom worked when we aren't in his driveway. He really needs to get that fixed."

"CATERINA VALENTINE!" Jade shouted.

"Whatty?"

"I'm going back to bed now. I'll see you at one."

"Okey dokey! Bye, Jadey!" The redhead hung up.

Jade muted her phone and stuffed it in the couch to muffle if it rang again before climbing into bed with her boyfriend.

"Cat's excited, isn't she?" Beck mumbled without opening his eyes.

"That's an understatement."

The boy wrapped an arm around his girlfriend, pulling her close to him. "Let's treasure our final few moments together before your best friend drags you off to the mall." Eyes still closed, he brought his lips toward his girlfriend's, smiling when they connected.

"Okay," she sighed as they pulled away. "Sounds good to me."

At quarter of one, Jade was clad in her favorite of her still-comfortable outfits and preparing to leave Beck's RV. She carried a coffee in her left hand and her bag over her right shoulder with her wallet and credit card inside.

"Are you sure you don't want me to drive?" Beck asked, walking up behind his girlfriend and wrapping his arms around her. "I could drop you guys off."

"Beck," Jade smirked as he planted kisses all over her neck and shoulders, "I'm pregnant, not broken. I can drive my own car. Besides, it's just been parked in your driveway for the past several months anyway."

"If you say so," Beck whispered, spinning her around and kissing her.

Jade patted her boyfriend's chest before turning and leaving. "I'll bring home dinner. Text me if you want anything in particular."

She shut the door to the RV and Beck listened as her car started and drove away. He finally had a chance to go talk to a certain someone.

At the mall, Cat led Jade in a beeline to the maternity clothing shop.

Once inside, the blue-eyed girl looked around with disgust. "Nothing's black," she complained.

Cat picked up a frilly pink top. "But Jade, they're so pretty! At least pick out twenty things and we'll buy fifteen."

"Holy cow, KittyCat. I don't have money for fifteen of these!"

"Coupons!" Cat giggled and pulled out a gift card. "I love coupons!"

Jade shook her head, turning back to the rack of clothing in front of her. She looked through outfits after outfits until she picked several.

"Go model them for me!" Cat jumped up and down. "Go model pretty mommy clothes!"

Shaking her head at the excitement of her best friend, Jade made her way to the dressing room, where the attendant gave her a dirty look. The teenager returned it with equal intensity.

In the dressing room, Jade pulled off her shirt, replacing it with a dark green tunic she found in the "clearance" section. In approval, she hung it on the hanger over the edge of the door. She continued with almost twenty other shirts in a range of muted colors and simple styles until she had picked her favorites. The only ones she disliked were one red button down, two tunics, and a striped sweater. Pants wise, Jade ended up with several colors and patterns of leggings and jeggings, since those were easiest to get into and out of. Finally, she found one jacket she liked: a simple black pea coat.

Standing at the register, Cat took over buying and slid forth two gift cards, three coupons, and her credit card.

"Cat, you don't have to buy everything," Jade protested. "Let me pay what the gift cards don't cover."

"Nonsense!" Cat squealed. "I'm buying."

"Then let me pay for the bras," Jade stated. "I'm in desperate need of those."

Cat rolled her eyes. "If you insist."

On their way out of the store, Jade caught a glimpse of a certain middle-aged couple walking toward the Freezy Queen: Mr. and Mrs. Oliver.

Cat noticed them too and ran over, giggling. "Hi, Mr. and Mrs. Oliver!"

"Hello, Cat," Mrs. Oliver greeted the giggly redhead. "What brings you to the mall?"

"Cat drug me out shopping," Jade butted in, appearing at her friend's side and attempting to conceal the bags behind the petite girl. With her other arm, she clutched her jacket to her stomach in an attempt to conceal her belly.

"Hello, Jade," the woman deadpanned, her expression morphing from her friendliness toward Cat to hostility toward her son's girlfriend.

"We were just headed for a bite at the Freezy Queen," Mr. Oliver spoke, breaking the tension. "Would you girls like to join us?" Jade knew that she wasn't on the man's list of people that he liked, but she also knew that his Canadian upbringing required him to politely invite people to things, even if he didn't want to.

Jade opened her mouth to decline the request, but Cat spoke first. "We'd love to!"

The redhead was oblivious to the unhappy aura emitted by the other three people and she skipped ahead, leading the others to the little stand.

Sitting around one of the tables, the four shoppers ate their ice cream in silence. Except for Cat, who chattered happily with Mrs. Oliver about her recent costume design endeavors.

Mrs. Oliver had always liked Cat, despite her naivety and ditziness. Several times, she had advised her son to date the redhead rather than Jade, since the former was polite and sweet and the exact antithesis of Jade's abrasiveness.

During the entire conversation, Jade kept her gaze trained on her ice cream and her coat on her lap in hopes that she could continue to hide her pregnancy. She stared down at the brownie sundae and carefully scooped up the exact amount of brownie to complement her next bite of ice cream.

"You've been spending a lot of time with Beckett," Mr. Oliver stated, staring at the blue-eyed girl.

"Yes, I have," Jade nodded.

"Why?" he prodded.

Jade shrugged. "Because," she paused, "because I love him."

Mr. Oliver nodded, maintaining a cold gaze with the girl. "Well, Miss West, if you ever do anything to hurt my son or hinder his future, just remember that I have lofty connections in media. Do not mess with me."

Without a response, Jade nodded. She didn't like the man and he didn't like her, but she knew when he had the upper hand.

For the remainder of their snack, neither of Beck's parents spoke to Jade. She finished her sundae and threw out the bowl, returning to some unwanted, prying looks from Mrs. Oliver.

"Jadelyn, you're bigger than you were when you and my Beckett began dating."

"Honey, that's rude," Mr. Oliver whispered to his wife.

"My apologies, dear. All I'm asking is if you have been becoming lazy as well."

Jade knitted her eyebrows together, unsure how to reply. "I haven't been exercising as much recently, no. I don't have a dance class this semester."

"Well, if you want Beckett to stay, you should get back into shape. You look pregnant." The woman laughed at her joke.

Uneasy, Jade nodded. Words escaped her and she glanced down at Cat, who cocked her head to the side, completely unsure of what to do.

The blue-eyed girl placed a hand on her friend's shoulder. "We should get going, Cat."

Cat nodded and stood up. "Thank you so much for the ice cream. It was delicious."

"You're very welcome, Miss Valentine." Mr. Oliver stood and shook her hand. Mrs. Oliver hugged her. Jade only received a nod of acknowledgement from each of her boyfriend's parents.

"Goodbye, girls," Mrs. Oliver waved to the two as they left the shop.

On their way into a random jewelry store, Cat looked over at her friend. "Do they know?"

"No," Jade shook her head. "But that was awkward. I initiate conversations for the remainder of this trip."

"Okay," Cat agreed and ran off to play with a rack of glittery jewelry in the corner of the store.


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: I'm so sorry it's taken so long! Things have been nuts recently, and my time is virtually gone now. I'll try to keep updating as often as possible though :)**

**xolys**

- – — – -

After their obscenely expensive shopping trip, Jade dropped Cat off and stopped at her own house to show her mother her new clothing.

Upon entering the house, however, Jade recognized a voice that she hadn't expected: Beck.

"I just wanted to be certain that it would be okay with you, Mrs. West."

"Beck, please start calling me Mom. You might as well start getting accustomed to it now." She paused. "But yes, you have my permission."

"Thank you, Mrs. We-uh, Mom."

Jade set her bags by the stairs and walked toward the kitchen, where the voices were originating, and ran square into her boyfriend.

"Oh, hey Jade," Beck smiled and kissed her softly.

"What were you talking about?" Jade asked.

"Nothing immediately pertinent," Jade's mother answered, appearing in the foyer with the teenagers. "Beck told me you went shopping with Cat?"

"Yeah," Jade nodded. "We got clothes I'll need starting within the next few months.

The woman ran her hand through her hair in thought. "I've got some things left in the basement from Alex, too, if you want them."

"Are they pink?" Jade cocked an eyebrow.

"Some, but few. I'll look for them if you want to head back to Beck's. And I'll wash your new purchases."

"Thank you," Beck smiled, responding for his girlfriend.

Leaving the house, the couple climbed into Beck's truck and returned to the RV.

"Why were you at my house?" Jade pried.

"I needed to talk to your mom. I still have yet to talk to my parents, but one step at a time, eh?"

Jade cracked up.

"What?" Beck wondered aloud.

"You're so Canadian. Eh?"

"Yeah, yeah, like you don't say American things."

"We're IN America, Beckett." She shook her head, chuckling.

"Yeah?" Beck questioned as he pulled into his driveway. "I'm FROM Canada, Jadelyn."

"Don't call me Jadelyn."

"Why not? It's a pretty name. Suiting for a pretty girl."

Jade pouted and clambered out of the car as soon as it had parked. She stormed away and Beck chased after her.

"Jade? Where are you going?"

"The bathroom. Baby's kicking my bladder."

Now soothed that Jade wasn't upset with him, Beck slowed his pace as he finished walking to his humble abode.

Once inside, he sat down on the bed and waited for his girlfriend to return to him.

"She's always kicking," Jade complained. "It never stops." She flopped down onto her back on the soft mattress, letting her belly protrude from under her shirt.

"Well," Beck chuckled, "maybe she just wants some music."

Jade groaned. "Fine. Play Mozart or something."

Pulling his PearPhone from his pocket, he scrolled through his online playlists until he found one of Jade's favorites: Vesperae Solennes de Confessore.

To be honest, Jade liked it because it had words, but they weren't in a language she understood, so she could focus on the ebb and flow of the music and the soaring vocal and instrumental parts.

Beck just liked the way Jade glazed over when she listened, her eyes gazing into space as she painted the musical picture in her mind.

As the music played on a repeated cycle, Jade moved so she laid lengthwise on the bed, still on her back. Beck laid with her, his arm draped between her upper belly and her full breasts. In that position, the couple fell asleep.

Jade reawakened when the fifth movement began: a quiet, soothing lullaby. She sat upright, shaking Beck awake too. "Beck, wake up," she hissed. "Beck!"

The boy rubbed his eyes and pushed himself upright. "I was just starting to dream," he groaned. "What?"

Jade grinned. "She stopped moving."

Beck's eyes flew wide. "Jade, she's supposed to move. How long has she been still?"

Jade rolled her eyes. "Calm your pants, Beckett. She just stopped when this movement began."

Smiling, Beck placed a hand on Jade's belly. "You gave me a scare, baby girl," he cooed.

Inside Jade's belly, the baby moved. "Aw, great, you woke her up," the mother-to-be groaned. "I was enjoying the momentary peace."

Adding to the loss off peace, Jade's stomach growled.

"She's hungry, too, I see," Beck commented, chuckling.

Jade groaned, pulling up her shirt and running circles over her belly. "Run down to the store and grab me a stuffed pretzel?"

Beck nodded and stood up, grabbing his coat and keys and heading for the door.

"Actually," the blue-eyed girl called out, "I'm coming along. I want to pick out my own."

"Don't think I can do it myself?" her boyfriend gibed lightly.

"Are you impugning my trust?" she spat, pulling on a pair of boots and shrugging her jacket on.

"Never." Beck slung his arm around Jade and led her to his truck, where she cooperatively climbed into the passenger side. "7-Eleven sound okay to you?"

Jade nodded. "Beck, remember when we went to Jersey last summer?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Remember their mini-mart? Wawa, I think it was?"

Beck smirked. "Yeah. What about it?"

"They make amazing subs. And their frozen coffees were the chizz."

"You want Wawa, don't you?"

Jade nodded.

"I'd fly to the moon and back to save your life, Jade, but not to get you a coffee."

"What if the coffee would save my life?"

"We'll address that circumstance when it arrives."

Rolling her eyes, Jade watched the road as Beck drove, letting it blur by in a mess of tail lights and asphalt. Before she knew it, Beck was pulling into a parking spot and shutting off the engine.

He let her lead him inside and she made an immediate dash for the hot stuffed pretzels. After grabbing one, she proceeded to scurry over to the sodas and grab a root beer and then snatch a pint of chocolate ice cream from the freezer.

With her load in hand, Jade approached the counter with Beck on her tail.

The woman behind the register, who looked so pregnant she could pop, eyed Jade's belly incredulously. "Pregnant?" she asked, her thick Indian accent layering the word.

Jade glared.

"Yeah," Beck spoke. "Due early August."

"I assume you're the father?" she looked up at the boy.

"Yes."

"And how pregnant are you?" Jade spat at the woman, almost hoping she was just fat and not pregnant.

"Eight months. Twin boys."

Jade scoffed.

Beck hurriedly paid for the merchandise and smiled softly at the cashier. "Well, congratulations on the sons."

"And you on your child," the woman replied, offering a half-hearted smile at the couple as they left the shop.

"What was that about?" Beck questioned as they climbed back into his vehicle.

Jade took a bite of her pretzel. "What?"

"You and the woman. You were rude."

"Did you see the look she gave me, Beck?" Tears pricked at the edges of Jade's eyes, but she blinked them away. "She was judging me for our baby."

"Jade," his voice softened. He reached out and placed a hand on her thigh. "Jade, people are going to judge us. We're younger than most people are when they have kids."

Jade sniveled and took another bite.

"But you know what? We're also a stronger couple than most people who have children. Think about it. Society thinks they're normal. We have to fight society and say, 'sure, they're normal, but we're going to be the best damn parents in Los Angeles'."

Jade chuckled. Beck sure was proud of that speech. She just hoped he was right.


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: Sorry this took so long! My life has gon berserk over this month. I have three AP classes, voice lessons, piano accompaniment, musical rehearsals, etc. I had a Spaghetti Dinner to perform at last Saturday and my spring concert this past Tuesday. That said, my schedule is only going to get worse until the end of May. I'll try to keep up on updates, but it will take more time.**

**I haven't forgotten; I promise!**

**xolys**

Back at school on Monday, Beck and Jade filed into Sikowitz's class without incident. They took their seats at the middle of the room, like usual, and waited for the others to arrive.

Only Beck noticed Jade's present unhappy mood and he cocked an eyebrow. "Jade please tell me what's wrong."

"Get me something to eat from Festus and I will."

Rolling his eyes, Beck got up and left the room to get something from the food stand.

Jade remained in her seat, glaring slightly at her belly even as it was cloaked by her favorite of Beck's plaid shirts. The little girl curled up inside had caused so many problems already and she hadn't even been born yet.

The baby kicked and Jade groaned. Being a mother was painful.

"What am I going to do with you?" Jade asked it softly.

Growing impatient, she turned to watch the door and noticed as Robbie came strutting in and sat in his typical seat with Rex on his arm. The puppet tapped its puppeteer and pointed toward Jade. The boy looked over and glanced up and down her slouched body.

"You pull off the pregnant look well," Rex jeered. "Though I'm shocked you still fit in Beck's clothes."

Jade pushed herself to her feet and stormed over to Robbie, grabbing Rex and throwing him out the window.

"Hey!" Robbie protested. "Don't hurt Rex!"

"Would you like to go out the window, too, Shapiro?"

The curly-haired boy shook his head frantically and Jade backed off, returning to her seat as Beck reentered carrying a plate of cheese fries.

"I brought you food," the father-to-be announced, waving it around.

Robbie hopped up. "May I have a fry?"

Jade glared at the scrawny kid as she stood up. "Over Beck's dead body." She proceeded to take the food from her boyfriend and sit back down.

"Why my body?" Beck asked as he joined his girlfriend.

"Because killing me would entail hurting her." Jade looked down at her belly.

Beck placed a warm hand over the bump, smiling when it shifted slightly. Eventually, he met glances with Jade, who was oh-so-seductively slipping fries into her mouth then licking the cheese from the corner of her mouth. He felt himself get hard. "Fuck," he muttered.

Jade cocked her unpierced eyebrow. "Want something?"

Beck nodded. "Once you're done, can we have a quick conversation in the closet?"

The blue-eyed girl smirked and put on a lofty British accent. "My, my, Mister Oliver, I would love to, but unfortunately a certain little girl may get in our way."

Grinning wildly, Beck let his lips meet Jade's ear, causing her to squirm a little. "Oh, Miss West, I wasn't aware you considered your uvula to be a girl."

A coy look of shock spread across Jade's face. "Oh, heavens, no! But I believe we should go, as I have finished my chips and seem to be a little thirsty."

Robbie watched this exchange with intrigue and did all he could to keep himself from following the couple back out of the room. Instead, he settled on making a dart to the bathroom where he relieved himself to thoughts of naughty, non-pregnant Jade.

After releasing into Jade's talented mouth, Beck let his head fall back against the wall as he came down and regained motor control.

The blue-eyed girl pushed herself to her feet and then watched him recover. "Did I pass?"

"Pass?" Beck smirked. "You aced it. Like always."

Jade wrapped her arms around Beck's waist after re-buttoning his pants for him. She let her head rest on his shoulder and just smelled his scent.

"So," Beck eventually sighed and snaked his arms around his girlfriend, "you never did tell me what's wrong."

Jade released her boyfriend and backed away. "Your parents, Beck."

"What about them? You haven't seen them in months! Not since at least before our little one started showing."

"Now that's a lie," Jade grumbled and leaned against the opposite wall. "I saw them yesterday."

"Oh, Jade," Beck groaned. "What happened?"

"Your mother called me fat. Your dad threatened me. They both doted over Cat."

Nodding solemnly, Beck slung his arm around Jade's waist. "Let's go to Sikowitz's. We'll talk more between classes."

Jade agreed. When they returned to the room, the bell had rung a few minutes ago and most students had already taken their seats. Sikowitz laid on the stage, playing with a coconut that he held above his head.

"Peculiar things, coconuts are. Don't you agree, Beck?" The teacher sat up without looking at his student. "Fairly light, but actually quite hard." He beamed the coconut at the boy, who caught it nimbly with his right hand.

"I guess so," Beck stuttered, flustered by the sudden projectile.

Jade pointed an accusatory finger at the balding man on the floor. "You threw a coconut at me!"

Sikowitz shrugged. "It didn't hit you, did it?"

The blue-eyed girl opened her mout to speak, froze, and then closed it again. "No."

"Let's just sit down," Beck soothed, tossing the fruit back at their teacher.

Sikowitz jumped to his feet. "Don't sit yet, lovebirds." The couple froze midway through sitting down. "We're doing a little 'Number of Words' today. Beck, Jade, Cat."

With a groan, Jade made her way to the stage with her boyfriend and best friend.

"Jade, your lines must be four words. Cat, two. Beck, one."

"One?" Beck complained.

"Yeah, so speak sparingly," his girlfriend snickered.

Cat giggled. "What fun!"

Sikowitz turned to the class. "I need a topic."

"Cat's birthday," Andre offered before Rex could say anything vulgar.

"Ooh, yay!" the redhead squealed.

Sikowitz shrugged. "Sounds good to me. Let's go. Jade, you start."

The blue-eyed girl looked toward her boyfriend. "Isn't it Cat's birthday?"

He shrugged. "Yeah."

"What should we get?"

Cat jumped up and down. "Cupcakes, duh!"

"What kind of cupcakes?" Jade rubbed her belly soothingly as the little one inside fidgeted and landed a left hook in her intestines.

"Definitely chocolate."

Beck mimicked writing on a note pad. "Icing?"

"Strawberries. Yum!"

"Freeze." Sikowitz stopped the scene. "Cat and Jade you may come sit. I want Robbie and Andre to join Beck."

"Thank God, I'm done," Jade groaned as she took her seat.

With the two new actors on stage, Sikowitz turned to the remainder of the class. "I feel like we should do a new activity. How's a little 'Two-Line Vocab' sound?"

"Gee, Sikowitz," Tori smirked from her spot by the window, "you seem inconsistent today."

"Is that a problem, Vega?" Jade barked. "Not all of us live steady, boring, picture-perfect lives. Some of us have crazy brothers," she gestured toward Cat," or insane grandmothers," she pointed to Andre, "or a dad who hates you," she pointed to herself, "or even parents who saw your girlfriend yesterday, but still don't realize she's six months pregnant."

Beck dropped his head. The class went silent.

After a few moments, the blue-eyed girl got up and slung her bag over her shoulder. "Have fun with your class. Beck knows where to find me." Without another word, she left the room.


End file.
